Author: CNN Newsource

By Tiarra Braddock

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    LAKE ORION, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 4-year-old Lake Orion girl is facing a long and difficult recovery after losing part of her leg in a lawn mower accident while on a family vacation in Minnesota.

Brielle Thompson was injured during the trip and was airlifted to a hospital, where she has undergone multiple surgeries, according to her aunt, Abigail Thompson.

“Right now, it’s just a waiting game of how well she’s able to heal,” Abigail Thompson said.

The family’s current focus is on preserving Brielle’s knee.

“If she’s able to keep her knee, that would be optimal just because it provides better prosthetic options, better mobility,” Abigail Thompson said.

Brielle’s uncle, Jonathan Thompson, said doctors are still determining what her long-term recovery will look like.

“I think we’re still really in the early stages to know exactly what that looks like,” Jonathan Thompson added.

The accident has forced Brielle’s parents and siblings to remain in Minnesota while she receives treatment. Family members say the situation has created significant financial and logistical challenges.

“Evan, he’s the sole provider for their family and he’s now far from home and his workshop, so that’s going to be impacted a lot,” Jonathan Thompson said. “Every meal, out-of-state housing.”

To help cover medical expenses and other costs, the Thompson family has started a GoFundMe campaign.

Relatives say they have been overwhelmed by support from the community.

“Thank you so much. It has been so amazing just to see the support of the community,” Abigail Thompson said.

Family members say their faith has helped them navigate the uncertainty surrounding Brielle’s recovery.

“They’re trusting God through it all,” Abigail Thompson said. “They’re really relying on Him. They know God has a plan for their daughter.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jolie Sherman

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    ANN ARBOR, Michigan (WXYZ) — A brewery in Ann Arbor is turning a viral joke into a charitable statement.

HOMES Brewery began jokingly calling itself “Shame Brewery” in response to President Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America.” Now, the brewery is selling T-shirts bearing the word “Shame” above its logo — flipping the familiar grade-school mnemonic “HOMES” on its head.

Trump signed the executive order Thursday, directing U.S. federal agencies to use the new name amid escalating trade tensions with Canada following failed trade talks between the U.S. and Canada.

Beatriz Bargas, manager at HOMES Brewery, said the response was about finding a constructive outlet.

“We believe it’s a silly situation, and we’re just trying to make light of it while also trying to stay positive and proactive. Therefore, we chose a non-profit organization to donate partial proceeds of the t-shirt,” Bargas said.

That organization is Great Lakes, Great Responsibility, a nonprofit founded in 2020 dedicated to removing and preventing plastic pollution in the Great Lakes watershed.

Customers at the brewery said the shirts resonated with them. Ryan Jasper, who came out to the brewery on his anniversary after seeing the buzz, said the concept landed.

“I think it’s hilarious. It obviously brought a lot of people out here. Tonight, it brought us out here,” Jasper said.

Lorin Burgess said the charitable component made the purchase feel worthwhile.

“I don’t mind that someone is making money off of it, and that it’s going to the right causes versus somebody’s pockets. So I like it, I’m going to get one,” Burgess said.

One customer, Judy Power, said the name change hit close to home. She made it her goal this summer to swim in every Great Lake with her granddaughter.

“We just finished last weekend. We did a southern leg of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and then we did the northern loop. That was our HOMES tour, and now our HOMES tour is a SHAME tour, so it’s really sad,” Power said.

The back of the shirts read “Ontario Forever,” and once they’re made, staff members will be wearing them around the restaurant for a little while. Bargas reflected on why the brewery’s original name carries meaning beyond just an acronym.

“I think the way they chose the organization and it goes back to being proud, blessed and lucky we are to be surrounded by so much clean water,” Bargas said.

Lorin Burgess summed up the moment with a smile.

“There’s kind of a delicious irony to it that I like,” Burgess said.

The brewery says pre-orders are available through September 1st.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Fernanda Silva

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KSHB) — A storm last week brought down part of the Roswell Church of Christ’s sanctuary in Kansas City, Kansas. But for its members, the damage to the building has not stopped their ministry.

“You look at a place where you have come to worship for years, and now it’s there no more. It’s torn apart,” Stanley Addison, a church member, told KSHB 41 News reporter Fernanda Silva.

Kelvin Burns, another church member, described the moment he took in the destruction.

“It was a sudden, just loss feeling,” Burns said.

Despite the loss, members say their church is still standing.

“We got knocked down, but we didn’t get knocked out. We’re stronger than the storm,” Addison said.

With no building to walk into, the congregation brought their ministry outside Wednesday night. During a prayer held amid the damage, one voice captured the congregation’s resolve.

“We look around and we see the damage that has been done to the building. Well, Father, the church continues to go,” a church member prayed.

Minister Artrell Harris leaned on scripture to frame the moment for his congregation.

“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there he is in the midst of them,” Harris said.

Harris said the storm has forced the church to reckon with what it truly is.

“Our ministry is not just tied into a building. We are the church,” Harris said.

He acknowledged the road ahead is uncertain, but said faith is what keeps the congregation moving forward.

“Even in the roughest, darkest times, you’re still able to say, hey, we’re going to keep going,” Harris said.

Harris said the storm’s impact reached beyond the building itself.

Community members had food spoil in their refrigerators and freezers, and some had their cars destroyed.

“The Bible says faith without works is dead. So we got to live it,” Harris said.

Community member Selena Overton-Gant said the congregation wasted no time putting that belief into action.

“Everybody just got up and got busy,” Overton-Gant said.

She said the experience has reinforced what the church truly represents.

“Jesus is where we come to worship and gather. This is wherever we are because we are the church. This is the building that we serve in, but we are the workers. We are the hands. We are the feet for Jesus,” Overton-Gant said.

Harris said the building’s future remains unclear.

“The way this building looks now and the damages that it has sustained, we won’t be back in this building in the near foreseeable future,” Harris said.

Still, he said the congregation is approaching the situation with both faith and a plan.

“You can grieve, but you gotta say, hey, here’s a strategic plan,” Harris said. “The building is what it is, but God can do something bigger with this.”

Addison echoed that sentiment.

“This building, if it doesn’t get repaired, we will still be the church,” Addison said.

Burns said the experience has brought the congregation’s purpose into focus.

“The building just holds the workers, you know,” Burns said. “We’re here. We’re alive.”

The congregation will hold worship this Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at Carl Bruce Middle School, 2100 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Services begin at 10:30 a.m. A church meeting will follow worship to provide updates and answer questions related to the storm.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KSHB verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Andie Bernhardt

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    EAST TROY, Wisconsin (WDJT) — It wasn’t your average day at Skydive Milwaukee in East Troy as several people braved the jump out of a plane thousands of feet in the air.

“Be as bare as you dare,” said Brenda Brown with We Bare All.

That’s because one non-profit group took to the skies in nothing but their own skin.

“This is my first time skydiving period and naked on top of it, so I’m going to take two things off the bucket list at once,” said John Jankowski, with We Bare All.

We Bare All held its first ever naked skydiving event on Sunday.

Jankowski, the president of the group says their goal is to promote body positivity, self-acceptance and social nudity.

“You’re bare, you’re out there,” said Jankowski. “Judge me now, judge me later. I’m the same with clothes or without clothes. Why not do it naked?”

Several members took to the skies, making the big jump at nearly 14,000 feet bare.

For Jo Beck, who has completed 6,700 jumps and been a skydiving instructor for 13 years, she says it’s a first.

“Hey, today is just a normal day of skydiving with a different dress code,” said Beck.

Those participating embracing every second in their nothing but their own skin, saying it makes them feel free and powerful.

“It takes the power back from our society, you know how they view women,” said Brown. “I’m taking my power back when I take off my clothes. It’s not vulnerable. It’s power.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Olivia Hickey

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    EL RENO, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A damaged private water line at a data center in El Reno caused more than 3 million gallons of water to be wasted this week, prompting the city to issue emergency abatement and public nuisance notices.

The water line, connected to a fire hydrant on private property, was responsible for the massive leak, according to city officials. The business involved, Athlon BT, specializes in mobile data centers for AI storage and Bitcoin mining, which are equipped with air- and water-cooling technology.

“In this day and age, that’s not acceptable,” said Shellie Seale, a local resident.

“It’s just concerning how much water we lost so quickly,” said Jim Waggoner, another resident.

City officials discovered multiple violations at the property, including a failed water line, lack of maintenance and access, drainage issues, expired building permits, and the absence of a final certificate of occupancy. The structures were also flagged as dangerous.

When reporters visited the site, a man was seen on the property but declined to comment on camera.

“People have to start thinking long-term about the water, what they’re gonna use,” Seale said.

“Being an old guy, I don’t think we need it,” Waggoner said.

Athlon BT has not responded to requests for comment. The company has 10 days to address the public nuisance conditions, or the city may take further action.

An administrative hearing on the property is scheduled for late September.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Madison Perales, Jake Anderson

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Omaha police are investigating after a person found a newborn baby and brought it to a fire station on Friday morning.

Around 7:45 a.m., officers responded to the fire station near 34th and Q streets for a child welfare check, officials said.

Omaha Fire Department personnel told officers that the infant was found in an alley near 44th and I streets and was brought to the station, according to Omaha police.

Investigators said two people brought the baby girl wrapped in a towel, with no diaper, to the station. The infant still had the full umbilical cord attached, officials said.

The newborn was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center and “at this time, did not have any clear injuries,” officials said.

Omaha police said the infant is undergoing an examination.

Officials said the little girl is under state custody at this time, but DHHS and Project Harmony are working to find placement for the child.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Camden Morris

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Jamie Causey, a University of Alabama graduate, said she relied on scholarships, grants, and prayers to pursue her education, hoping to make her grandparents and her city proud.

Causey recalled a conversation with her grandmother where she expressed doubts about continuing her studies. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen,” she said. Her plan was to take time off from college and work.

That plan changed when Grammy-winning singer Olivia Rodrigo sent her a private message offering to pay for her tuition. Initially, Causey thought the message was from a fake account.

“And I don’t know if anybody out there relates, but you get the messages on Facebook and your great-grandmother calls you and goes, ‘Tom Hanks messaged me,’ and you go, ‘No, no he didn’t, Grandma,'” Causey said.

Rodrigo’s generosity played a pivotal role in Causey graduating with a degree in public relations.

“The amount she gave me fully paid for my semester. When I hit pay on that bill page and saw that amount go away, I started to cry because she had changed my life. I knew once I could graduate, my future was set,” Causey said.

Causey said she went from feeling alone to knowing she had an outpouring of support from the community.

“The kindness people showed. People wanted me to do a wish list. I didn’t want people to think I wanted attention; I just wanted to be real,” Causey said.

She added that she is taking a step back from social media but is grateful for the platform it has given her to impact others.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Kelly O’Brien

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    PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A 78-year-old man who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with the deaths of several turtles found near his home was fined $620.

Charles Puccio pleaded guilty last week to charges of cruelty to wild animals, becoming the first person to be convicted of the crime since its 2022 inception.

“It’s very rare,” said Fish and Game Maj. David Welch. “In fact, I can only think of one or two cases in the last 10 years.”

In June, calls started coming in from residents on Bog Road in Hillsborough after 15 turtles were found dead in the span of a week. Witnesses said they believed the deaths were intentional after seeing Puccio using an off-road vehicle to hit the turtles and, in one case, stomping on one.

A conservation officer with the Fish and Game Department went to the area and used a decoy turtle with surveillance and caught Puccio in the act, leading to an arrest on a charge of cruelty to wild animals.

“It’s rare,” Welch said. “It doesn’t affect anything to do with legal take of hunting. But this was the first time, I believe, that we were able to apply that law in such a manner. It carries a misdemeanor penalty and is a criminal act, and the defendant will have a criminal record.”

Puccio’s $620 fine is suspended pending good behavior, so he won’t have to pay it if he is not charged with another crime or violation in the next year.

“What’s interesting is that there is a felony-level provision for that,” said legal analyst Patricia LaFrance of Black, LaFrance and Bollinger. “The difference is only in the intent.”

LaFrance said charges can stem from the evidence on hand, and prosecutors must prove the crime beyond reasonable doubt.

“I don’t know what the evidence is, what his state of mind was at the time,” she said. “There could have been a lot of different factors that went into this plea deal that maybe we don’t know about.”

The turtle that was stomped on survived the attack. She is in the care of New Hampshire Turtle Rescue and is expected to be released in the spring.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Tim Nazzaro, Arielle Mitropoulos

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    KINGSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Kingston, Massachusetts, daycare owner accused of assaulting toddlers in her care has turned herself into authorities after a warrant was sought for her arrest, according to the Kingston Police Department.

Karen Rezendes, 51, of Kingston, is facing various criminal offenses, including felony assault and battery on young children, and felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to police.

She was arraigned in Plymouth District Court on Friday and a plea of “not guilty” was entered on her behalf.

Rezendes was held on bail and will return to court on Sept. 4 for a pretrial hearing.

She has run an in-home daycare center called “Oh Nana’s Daycare” for several years in town.

That daycare is no longer licensed following an investigation by both the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as well as the Department of Early Education and Care.

According to police, in recent years, Rezendes abused several of the children who attended the daycare. The incidents of abuse allegedly included violently shoving a child to the ground, hitting a child with kitchen accessories, slamming a child against a counter and locking a child in the attic, among other offenses.

Police said the children were generally toddlers, and their ages ranged between 1 and 4 years old.

Rezendes’s arrest warrant comes after a multi-week investigation by Kingston detectives, which included several witness interviews and reviews of video evidence.

When officers attempted to serve the warrant at Rezendes’s residence earlier this week, she was not home.

Neighbors said they have raised concerns about Rezendes’s alleged aggressive behavior for years.

“When I called the state, her words to me were, the state needs daycare workers,” one neighbor said. “Like, what is with these people that they think they can do this to children and that it’s okay? It’s not okay.”

Police were searching for Rezendes but said she turned herself in to Plymouth District Court on Friday afternoon.

Additionally, if your child attended “Oh Nana’s Daycare” in recent years and you suspect they may have been abused, you are asked to contact Detective Zachary Francis at 781-585-0523.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Tim Nazzaro, Ted Wayman

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — With Tuesday’s primary approaching, the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race is shaping up as a contest between longtime experience and a call for new leadership.

Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey held a rally in Dorchester on Saturday, billed as a “Power to the People” party.

The event, held at the IBEW Hall, featured prominent Democratic leaders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“Let’s get Ed Markey reelected to the U.S. Senate,” Sanders said.

On the North Shore, Rep. Seth Moulton joined supporters for his uphill battle to unseat Markey.

“People are ready for a change,” Moulton said.

The big difference could be age. Moulton is 47, a U.S. Marine veteran with combat experience, and has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015.

Markey is 80 years old and has spent the last 50 years in Washington, D.C.

The race now heads for Tuesday’s primary. Some polls open as early as 5:45 a.m., but most of the state is voting between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

As long as you are in line by 8 p.m., you will be able to cast a vote.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.